Kiev’s heavy-handed mobilization tactics have driven a large-scale exodus of potential conscripts
Authorities in Poland have detained two Ukrainian train drivers and the two passengers they had tried to smuggle into the country illegally.
The railway workers have been accused of participating in a human trafficking operation, according to a statement from the Polish Border Guard.
Kiev has turned to increasingly aggressive conscription tactics, and has faced widespread criticism for its treatment of military-age men attempting to evade military service.
According to a statement released on Thursday, the train operators, both employees of Ukraine’s state railway, were caught hiding the young men inside the locomotive compartment of a train which had arrived in the southeastern Polish border city of Przemysl. Investigators allege that the smugglers had received at least $10,000 per person for the illicit crossing.
The operators have been charged with participating in a criminal group engaged in organizing illegal border crossings. They have denied the accusations.
The two Ukrainian nationals who were smuggled into Poland were charged with entering the country illegally using deception and acting in cooperation with others. They have admitted their guilt, and informed authorities that they had turned to the scheme in order to avoid being drafted.
Ukraine introduced general mobilization shortly after the escalation of the conflict with Russia in February 2022, banning most men aged 18 to 60 from leaving the country. In 2024, Kiev lowered the draft age from 27 to 25 and imposed harsher recruitment rules in order to offset mounting battlefield losses.
The conscription campaign has triggered growing unrest. Viral videos circulating on Ukrainian social media have shown military recruiters chasing young men in the streets and forcing them into unmarked vehicles. Violent confrontations between draft officers and civilians have become increasingly frequent.
According to Igor Matviychuk, head of border control at Ukraine’s State Border Guard Service, more than 100 people attempt to flee the country each day to avoid conscription.
